Bath

Beautiful view in Bath, England. Too bad the weather didn't want to cooperate.

While I was in Bristol a few months ago, I went to Bath. It is the site of a remaining Roman bathhouse. And after you visit the bathhouse, you can go take a bath in the disgusting mineral water (yes, I drank the gross stuff). The town itself was quite charming, but very touristy and very, very tiny.

Dirty, dirty roman bathwater!

I only spent about 6 hours in the town so I didn't get to do much, but I saw a lot. After paying an arm and a leg to visit the Roman Baths, I got to go on a FREE tour of the city. I know, you're thinking 'a free tour, it couldn't have been that good,' but it was. A little retired man took us all around the city and told us a ton about the architecture and the history of most of the major buildings.

Projections of Romans on the walls of the cool bath room. Oddly enough, all the scenes were a bit homo-erotic...I wonder why.

Maybe the most fascinating thing for me was looking at and hearing the history of Jane Austen's house. I actually learned quite a lot about her from the tour guide and it was really cool seeing where she lived, walked, etc. I also really appreciated all the Georgian houses and the columns. They're really lovely.

The most photographed view in Bath. A beautiful semi-circular set of private houses.

I'm not sure I would recommend a trip to Bath. If you are in the area, it's a great little half-day visit, but I don't think I would make a special trip just to see it. After all, you can go to Rome to see Roman baths and there are several other interesting small towns in England.

Whoah

I just think this is fantastic! Lieutenant General Ann Dunwoody is the first woman to be nominated for the rank of 4-star general. It's about freakin' time!

Bristol

About a month ago, I went to Bristol, England for a job fair. Unfortunately, it didn't produce any results except to make me feel like I am actually an attractive candidate. I've been unemployed since August of last year and I have gotten more job rejections to last ten lifetimes. Talking to the people at the job fair and being told that I am actually employable made me feel much better.

Old brewery building in the financial district of Bristol.

Anyway, I really enjoyed Bristol. Other than being verbally abused at airport security, I found everyone to be extremely nice and helpful. Of course that could be because I tend to speak to everyone I encounter in an English speaking area, and I do love English men. The town is small enough to walk everywhere, but most people opt for public transport.

Clifton Village

One of the things I enjoyed most about Bristol is the surrounding nature. I lucked out with the weather and enjoyed some really beautiful days and views. I forget how much I miss the countryside because I guess I am finally used to the dirt and grim of Paris. Bristol has a lovely, hilly landscape, a rather nice river and plenty of trees.

Kitchen in one of the Georgian houses in downtown Bristol.

The second or third day I was there, I met a woman from Cheddar and an Aussie. They were great fun and I ended up spending the entire day and most of the night with them. The Aussie paid for most of the entertainment for the night and ended up finding 100 pounds on the ground. Karma, huh?

Some more of Clifton Village

I realized two things when I was looking at my pictures from Bristol; I don't take nearly as many pictures as I used to and I can't take a straight picture to save my life.

Some random stuff in a park on the edge of Bristol.